{Chapter 32}

Adam threw Katie behind a tree and positioned his body to protect her.

This can’t be happening. How did they know where we were? We were completely silent!

Adam checked his gun and found it fully loaded. He took aim.

“Steady. Aim. Shoot,” he whispered to himself to try to calm his shaking hands.

He pulled off a shot in the direction of their attackers, not doubt Mark and his men. Adam pulled the hammer back on his gun and aimed again.

“You know what they’re after, don’t you?” Katie asked.

Adam was impressed at the lack of fear in her voice.

“Yeah, it’s that paper.” Adam fired again.

He heard a yelp. He must have hit one of them.

“Where is it?” Katie asked.

“Erik burned it to disintegration three days ago,” Adam said as he set the barrel of his pistol on his forearm to steady his aim.

“They ain’t gonna believe that.”

“You’d be amazed at what people believe with a .45 pointed at their face.” Adam shot toward the bunch of trees that the gang was shooting from.

“Adam!” Adam turned to see Wade with a bullet in his right shoulder, blood oozing down arm and soaking his shirt.

“Wade!” Katie squealed.

“I’m fine,” Wade motioned for Adam to move to his left to get a better shot.

Adam nodded. “You stay here, Kate. Don’t move, hear?” he told Katie.

Katie nodded.

Adam looked back over at Wade, who was breaking out in a cold sweat at the pain but was shooting anyway. Now was when he thanked God that Wade was left-handed. He murmured a prayer for the man and ran behind a tree a few feet away.

Looking across camp, he saw Toni with a rifle in one hand and a pistol in the other laying down behind a fallen log. Erik was hidden behind a stump and the other three cowboys were shooting out from behind trees like the rest of them.

Adam slowly crept around to where he could see the gang. The only ones he saw were Joe Blake and Marshall Heath. Where were the others?

Adam continued sneaking around until he came up behind the two men.

“A’ight you two. Reach or I’ll clear a couple of your organs.” Adam pulled the hammer back on his gun.

Both men froze.

“Did I stutter? Do as I say!” Adam growled.

The men dropped their guns and stood, holding their hands in the air. The started to face him.

“Don’t turn around,” Adam commanded.

With one hand, he reached inside his pocket and pulled out his tin badge. Though he had no authority in the area, the two dim wits wouldn’t know that anyway. Adam pinned the badge on and smiled.

“Now, hit your knees,” he demanded.

Joe and Marshall dropped to their knees.

**********

Erik held his breath when the shooting stopped. Either something really bad happened, or something really good happened. Either way, Erik wasn’t taking any chances. He took the time to reload his gun quickly before pulling the hammer back and looking for a target.

Stillness overtook the camp, and Erik didn’t see anything moving, which was strange.

Not a good strange, either.

“McBride, it’s time I taught you a lesson, isn’t it?”

Erik jerked around and stood, pointing the barrel of his gun to the center of Mark’s forehead. Mark had beat him to it, as Erik’s forehead was also graced with the presence of a gun barrel. Both men stared at each other.

“You know what you’ve done, Curtis?” Erik asked.

“I know what you’ve done. You’ve jeopardized what I’ve rightly stolen!”

“There’s not a such thing as ‘rightfully stolen’, Mark. Stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Erik said as he rolled his eyes.

“There is now. You’re gonna pay for what you’ve done, and you’re gonna pay my way,” Mark grinned.

“Your way? Do you know what your way is?” It’s stealing from a woman, not to mention your family. It’s killing innocent people who are just trying to make a living. You probably even faked it that day you prayed with me, didn’t you?” Erik asked.

Mark smirked. “Religion has never been my thing.”

“Well, that’s between you and God Almighty. However, stealing from my wife just happens to offend me, so I’m afraid that I’m gonna have to be the one teaching the lesson.”

“You gonna shoot me?” Mark asked. “I’ll shoot you before I go down. You know that.”

“Guess I’m asking myself if it’s worth it,” Erik responded.

“Is it?”

Erik pursed his lips. “Yes.”

One shot rang through the air. Erik lay flat on his back, feeling like he was being crushed from the inside.

Toni stood over him.

“Your uncle needed to lose some weight, Toni,” Erik groaned, shoving Mark’s body off him.

Toni reached down and helped him up. His shirt was drenched with Mark’s blood, but he didn’t figure he minded seeing as to how he was still alive.

“Guess I owe you one, sweetheart,” Erik said.

Toni looked down at her smoking gun. Not a hint of a tear welled in her eyes.

“Guess you do.”

**********

Adam pulled the rope tight around his prisoners, both of them tied back to back against a tree.

“You boys have fun, hear?” Adam smirked as he put one of their guns in his holster and held his own in his hand.

He ran back to where he had left Katie. A few feet over, he saw Wade collapsed onto the ground. Fear gripped his heart as he ran and knelt beside him. He let out a breath of relief. He had simply passed out from the pain. He was alive.

Adam looked around and motioned for Tiny to meet him beside Wade. Tiny darted between trees until he stood beside Wade.

“Take care of him. I’m gonna go check on Katie,” Adam told him.

After Tiny began tending to Wade, Adam stood and ran to where he had left Katie. She wasn’t there. Adam felt his heart hitch. He knew that the other three men being gone wasn’t a coincidence.

“Looking for something, deputy?” Adam snarled at the sound of Brant Alexander’s voice.

He spun around. Alex had a hand clamped hard over mouth and an arm around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides. His hand was wet with her tears and even more spilled from her eyes.

“I found it now,” Adam answered Brant, trying his best not to reveal how shaken up he was.

“You killed my brother,” Brant growled. “Your little lady was kind enough to give me that information.”

Katie tried to speak, but Alex’s hand was in the way.

“I know I did, Brant, and I’m sorry,” Adam said.

“You’re sorry? You think that’s enough for murder?” Brant shook his head.

“You’re a fine one to talk about murder,” Adam said through clenched teeth. “You killed my brother too, ya know. Joel was everything to me.”

“So you set out to kill my brother? Well, that’s disrespectful tot that badge, don’t you think?” Brant said with a smirk.

“Leave a badge out of this. What would you know about the law? Or honesty, for that matter?”

“Seems to me like you’re forgetting that I can take care of this little filly before you have a chance to even think about stopping me?

Adam didn’t flinch, though inside he was tearing the man apart.

“Now where’s that paper?” Brant asked.

“I don’t have it,” Adam shoved his thumbs into the front of his gun belt.

“Nice try, deputy.”

“It’s the truth. You’ll never see that paper or the ranch again, Alexander.”

“Kill ‘im, Brant,” Alex pressed.

Katie lifted her foot and stepped on the man’s toes. Alex howled but didn’t release her.

“Shut up, Harrison,” Brant snapped before looking back at Adam. “Maybe we should up the stakes a little, make this a little more real to you.”

He pulled his gun and directed it at Katie’s head, pulling the hammer back as he did.

I’ll kill him.

I can't believe I'm so close to the ending of this story! What do you guys think?

Think I'll kill off Wade? (do not answer that, hanna)

Does Brant have it in him to kill Katie? Can Adam stop him?

Thanks for reading!!